The holiest men still have many blemishes and defects when weighed in the balance of the sanctuary. The nearer a man walks with God, the more clearly he sees the sin that still clings to him.
True holiness does not make a man boast in himself. It makes him grieve what remains in him and cling harder to Christ.
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Romans 7:18).
The Christian life is a continual warfare against sin, the world, and the devil. The believer is not a man who has no battle. He is a man who has been brought into the battle by grace. The flesh still resists. The world still tempts. The enemy still accuses. But the Spirit of God teaches the believer to fight.
“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17).
Sometimes we will see even godly men not overcoming, but overcome. They may stumble, weep, confess, and feel the weight of their weakness. But they do not make peace with sin. They rise again by mercy and return to Christ.
“The righteous falls seven times and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16).
So do not measure holiness by sinless perfection in this life. Measure it by war against sin, grief over sin, hatred of sin, confession of sin, and continual dependence upon Christ.
The holiest saints are still needy saints. Their hope is not that they have no blemish, but that they have a perfect Saviour.
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